Archive

The bus from Mendoza to Santiago is a must. It only needs to be done once, but it is pretty special.

The day started badly, because as well as the banging headache and parched throat, the Mendoza bus station had a wildcat strike and all busses were empounded. As I went around the bus kiosks, they told me that the Santiago bus was going to travel, but we needed to go and wait on a square in town, and that the bus would arrive there well away from the blockades and the protestors.

Mendoza is known for it’s wine – we know it for “Mr Hugo”. As a town, it was also destroyed by an earthquake, so benefits from a renewed street pattern, giving the same comfortable and green character of San Juan. The squares are really nice and there is an unusual arrangement of 4 small squares around the main Plaza d’Independencia.

San Juan came as a pleasant surprise after the rough gruff town of Tucuman, having been destroyed in 1944 by a devastating earthquake that killed 10,000 people, the place was re-planned with wider streets, tree-lined avenues and an irrigation system that keeps the place clean and fresh – two unusual luxuries in Argentina.

On our last marathon car hire day, we took a short detour to see the traditional route people take to Cafayete from Salta (i.e. not the 250 km dirst track we had taken the day before). The valley has a famous reputation, and to be fair, it is pretty, and there are a couple of stunning sights, but you have to share it with other tourists!

After the car/back breaking drive down, we settled into a hostal called Rusty-K in the small town of Cafayete, an easy going, slightly scruffy laid back kind of place; rough pavements and lots of dogs, but enough trees and people to feel safe and comfortable.

As we only have the car a few days, we feel compelled to make the most of it, but this time we have really gone for it. As part of our route back south, we have decided to go to Cafayate via Cachi. On the map, this looks about 3 inches away, so on that basis we head off before dawn via Salta, a nice a quick paved 3 hour drive, before we turn west and start heading back up into the mountains through the eternal hairpins, this time levelling off around 3,500m (10,000 feet).